[Under The Hood] BY REQUEST: Ex-California Zephyr "Silver Feather" Interior, Arkansas and Missouri RR, January 2018

Thanks for the photos! Just what I needed! Bookmarked this page. 

My pleasure!  Glad to help. 

Mitch 

Interesting photos and some very nice detail shots.  Let's see, this passenger car is about seventy years old and still looks good.  A testament to not only the Budd Company but also to the designers.

 As nice as these photos and car are, this isn't very close to how the car would've originally looked. 

Great photos Mitch.

Bob

Will Ebbert posted:

 As nice as these photos and car are, this isn't very close to how the car would've originally looked. 

Nope.  However, some details such as the Lexan railings, light fixtures and such do remain.  

RSJB18 posted:

Great photos Mitch.

Thankee!   

Mitch 

Great place to be on a snowy day!!!

Mark Boyce posted:

Great place to be on a snowy day!!!

Nice and cozy!   

I celebrated my 77th birthday last August aboard this dome car on the A&M railroad. The office arranged a birthday cake for celebrants in my family, and there was enough cake for all seated in the dome that day. The train ran from Van Buren to Winslow (about half-way along the route into the Ozarks) and return -- about a three-hour adventure. The highlight of the trip was crossing over three trestles -- the tallest one is 135 feet above the valley floor; you can look DOWN at the treetops.

The SILVER FEATHER is well maintained, and its crew is thoughtful and helpful.  They served a box lunch en route. As others have pointed out, the car was not restored to its original decor by previous owners, but enough of its retro ambiance remains to satisfy those who aren't very fussy about the details.

Mike M.   (ritrainguy)

I get a laugh when I see one of these.  It reminds me of the Looney Tones short in the baggage car. Tweety Bird would pull this right when the Bad Old Putty Cat was about to catch Tweety.

Car might not be original inside but it is still running.

Dominic Mazoch posted:

 

Car might not be original inside but it is still running.

I'll vote with you on that, Dominic.  Most people riding it today don't know the difference and those of us who do know can just ignore the carpeted walls, wood interior trim, and other refurbishments. and enjoy the ride.  Or we could be fussbudgets and hate the ride.

It's a choice.

But, back to the original point of this topic, There are a bunch of Western Pacific enthusiasts, mainly in Northern California, many of whom rode the real California Zephyr.  They will know what the upholstery and wall colors were. Google Ted Benson or Ken Rattenne.